Church Blog (Page 8)
Surrender to Jesus
After eliciting a confession from Peter of whom he thought Jesus was, Jesus set forth the terms of discipleship. It was a free gift that would cost you everything. Self-denial and radical abandon are what it costs to follow Jesus. This stands in stark contrast to Herod and the crowd. Herod longed to be entertained by Jesus, and the crowd wanted a mighty servant. Their desires betrayed their own misunderstanding of who Jesus was. In Matthew’s account of the confession, Jesus…
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God Jesus sent out the disciples to “proclaim the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:2) Luke then tells us, in verse 6, that they “they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel.” The gospel is the kingdom. The kingdom is the gospel. We probably don’t think like that often enough. But that’s because we have not considered Who the God of the gospel is. Paul told us plainly that the God of the universe does not…
Demoniac Delivered and Given a Job
Demoniac Freed by the King “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8) Make no mistake about it, spiritual forces are at work in this world. “[T]he god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) But for us, who see that light, “He…
When the Storm Comes
Lead Into Storms by the Lord of the Storm Jesus was not oblivious to the storm. He intentionally led his disciples into it. Why would he do this? Often, it’s only in the midst of our darkest times of anxiety and fear that we can learn to trust God’s covenant faithfulness and loving care. He tries us in order for us to reflect on that anxiety and fear, when the storm has passed, and he asks, “Where was your faith?”…
Mary Counts the Cost
The news would be a boon to Zechariah, but would cost Mary dearly. The contrast between the Zechariah story and Mary’s is unmistakable. While they have enough in common to make it so, Luke ensures that we see the contrast by setting the stories next to each other. Incomparable John would be the greatest man to ever live. But that is only so because Jesus is incomparable. Jesus is unique. The Son of God, the eternal second Person of the…
Suffering, Prayer and Patience
Suffering All suffering is a result of sin (a fallen world), but not all suffering is a DIRECT result of sin. We cannot always change the pressures (or temptations) we face. But we can guard our hearts — how we respond to those pressures. God is at work in us, orchestrating the pressures we face, in order to develop our hearts and lead us to worship Him alone. In other words, suffering can have a number of causes. Sometimes it…